News in 2013

SPHERE health monitoring project launches23 December 2013An innovative new health project which could help save lives by detecting and preventing medical conditions in the home was officially launched last week at the University of Bristol.

Accelerating world-class natural science research19 December 2013Awards totalling £60,000 have been made in the Schools of Geographical and Earth Sciences to accelerate the impact of research. These grants were funded through the University’s NERC-funded Impact Acceleration Account (IAA).

Professor Steeds receives Gjønnes Medal19 December 2013Professor John Steeds in the School of Physics has been selected, together with Professor Michiyoshi Tanaka at Tohoku University in Japan, to receive the 2014 Gjønnes Medal.

Researcher named as a Business Leader of Tomorrow16 December 2013Dr Orla Kelly, a Design Engineer at East Sussex-based company Photek, has won a prestigious award at this year's Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP) Awards for her work designing novel ion optics for velocity map imaging (VMI) spectrometers used in physical chemistry and laser physics experiments.

Life-size model of the Bristol Dinosaur unveiled13 December 2013A full-size replica of Bristol's very own dinosaur Thecodontosaurus was unveiled at the University of Bristol's Wills Memorial Building today [Friday 13 December] where it will go on permanent display to the public.

Great George tolls to celebrate life of Mandela13 December 2013Great George, the University of Bristol’s famous bell, will ring out across the city this Sunday to mark the life and death of Nelson Mandela, the first black President of South Africa.

Lack of monitoring impairs bat conservation research12 December 2013Millions of pounds are being spent to protect bats from disturbance by building development and renovations, however a lack of follow-up monitoring makes it difficult to tell whether conservation efforts are effective.

AHRC funds research into Thatcher’s pension reforms12 December 2013The Arts and Humanities Research Council will fund a £700,000 project at the University of Bristol that will research a key moment in the historical development of Britain’s system of providing retirement income and in the development of its twenty-first century pensions crisis: the pension reforms pushed through by the Thatcher governments in the 1980s.

No need to feel left out if there’s a robot about11 December 2013Bristol Robotics Laboratory (BRL) is joining other leading research institutions in a new project looking at how remotely operated robots could enable people to take part in public spaces – without actually being there.

Engineering student wins Ian Marshall’s Award10 December 2013Rainer Groh, a PhD student in the Centre for Doctoral Training in Advanced Composites for Innovation and Science (ACCIS CDT), has been awarded the Ian Marshall’s Award for Best Student Paper at the 17th International Conference on Composite Structures (ICCS17).

Hidden wildlife uncovered in the heart of Bristol6 December 2013Ever considered bird watching in the centre of Bristol? Or wondered which animals make their home in the city? A final year University of Bristol student has created a short film which shows the types of wildlife that can be found in British cities.

Historic library undergoes £3.1 million revamp6 December 2013A historic library at the heart of the University of Bristol has been brought into the 21st Century thanks to a £3.1 million refurbishment, which has been unveiled by the UK’s most senior female judge.

Scientists simulate the climate of Tolkien’s Middle Earth6 December 2013Ever wondered what the weather and climate was like in Middle Earth, the land of hobbits, dwarves, elves and orcs, from J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings? Climate scientists from the University of Bristol, UK have used a climate model, similar to those used in the recent Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report, to simulate and investigate the climate of Middle Earth.

On track for growth and innovation: Brunel’s Engine Shed opens for business3 December 2013Brunel’s original train station, once Bristol’s gateway to the world, has opened its doors once again – as the city’s new enterprise hub to drive inward investment, create jobs and encourage a new generation of high growth businesses. The Engine Shed, a Grade I listed building built by the famous engineer in 1841, has had a £1.7 million transformation thanks to a partnership between Bristol City Council, the University of Bristol and the West of England Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP).

Lecture of a lifetime3 December 2013Chrissie Wellington, MBE, four-time Ironman triathlon World Champion and world record holder, spoke to a rapt audience in the Wills Memorial Building last week about her involvement in sport, her ‘life without limits’, and achieving things we never thought possible.